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Thursday, May 8, 2008

Doctor, Doctor

Today has been a more encouraging day. When we arrived at the hospital, Victoria's cardiologist here at UAB (Robb Romp) was doing a heart echo. Once he was done, we sat down and talked with him. He let us know that Victoria was stable during the night, which was a huge relief. He said that he was seeing a large space in the middle of the heart where the septum should be. We've known this for some time, so it was no surprise. He also saw the mitral valve and bi-cuspid valve defects. We've also been informed of this for some time. He talked through the surgical procedure to repair the defects. He was hopeful and seemed positive. He did say that there was concern with one of her valves when it came to leakage, even after the surgery is done. The surgeons are being made aware of this so they can pay special attention to that particular valve when operating.

We also met with her physician, Dr. Toms. He said they were treating Victoria with antibiotics just in case there was any infection. They have done several cultures, which they will not have results of until another day or so, to tell if there is, in fact, infection. Regardless, she is being treated as if she does have some infection, even if there is none.

At this point, they are trying to "tune her up" for surgery. Dr. Toms seems hopeful that she will have surgery on Tuesday at some point. Of course, this could change depending on if a more severe case comes in that needs more immediate attention over her case. Hopefully, that will not happen and she can get her repair done on Tuesday.

Mark and I will be taking a few pictures of her tonight to put up on the blog so you can see what she looks like. We feel it's very important for you to see where she is and how she is looking these days. If you are like me, you'll be alarmed at the tubes and wires you see. And, if you are like me ... you might cry. But, I'm thankful for those little arm holes on the sides of her bed that allow me to rub her little arms and legs and touch her sweet face. We can talk to her through those holes and Mark even sang "Daddy Loves Victoria" to her today. It was sweet.

Thanks again for all of your prayers. We cannot begin to tell you how much they mean to us.

4 comments:

Living Life Happy said...

Thank you for update. Our whole COL adoption group is praying for you guys.

Anonymous said...

Heather and Mark,
I woke up just before three am this morning and you were all on my mind. I began to pray for you and your family. I did not know that Victoria was flown to UAB until later today. I will continue to keep you guys in my prayers.

With Love,
Kristal Mayfield

Anonymous said...

hey guys
just wanted to let you know that i am praying for you almost constantly. i can't even imagine! please let me know if there is anything you need. elyssa is more than welcome to join us for a playdate anytime she needs an outing. thanks for keeping us all posted. love you guys,
amanda shirk

Anonymous said...

I want you to know that you are in our prayers. I wish we could be there with you. Victoria is beautiful, and I'm so proud of you and Mark. We love you!!!

Jan Scoper